Many Hands, One Mason!!
January 26th, 2020
Dear Mason Families,
Last week of January!!! Can you believe it! So pumped that we will be celebrating kindness week at Mason this week! Our staff has a plethora of activities that we will be having our students explore as we stress the importance of kindness this week (and every week). Mrs. Rokicki, our wonderful Social Worker, has arranged for our families join in the fun as well. On Tuesday (1.28), our staff would like to show a little kindness to our families. We appreciate all you do to support our learners and we invite you to stop by the picnic table on the blacktop to grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, after you drop off your student for school. Thanks for all you do!
I would also like to take the time to introduce Mrs. Kate Connolly to the Mason Community. After holding interviews last week, she was selected as our new long term guest teacher in the Music Room until further notice! Mrs. Connolly will begin working with our students this week and will also be directing the Mason choir. We will be reaching out to all Mason Choir families in the near future to discuss when the choir will start rehearsing again. Mrs. Connolly is a proud GPPSS Alumni! After graduating from North High School, she went on to obtain a Bachelor of Vocal Music Education and Fine Arts in Theatre from Wayne State University. Mrs. Connolly most recently did her student teaching in the music program at Brownell Middle School last Spring. Welcome to Mason, Mrs. Connolly! Carolyn Sevin, retired GP Music teacher, will work three days next week alongside Mrs. Connolly as she settles into the new position.
Last but not least, we have our district-wide Parents for Unity in Diversity meeting in the Mason library this Tuesday (1.28) from 6-7:30 pm. Please, Please, Please try to make it to this event. This is a great opportunity for us to come together as a community and heal after everything the community has gone through over the last year. This meeting will be facilitated by Ginni Winters and it is a great opportunity to meet other families, discuss how we can best support our learners and be a part of the change we want to see in the world. Thanks for your time!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Roy Bishop, Jr.
Principal
Mason Parking - Charlevoix
Lunch Room News
Upcoming Events
- 27 - American Red Cross Blood Drive @ Mason 2:30-8:30 PM
- 28 - Parents For Unity in Diversity Mtg 6-7:30PM in the library
- Art After School - must be signed up
- 4 - Art After School - must be signed up
- 8 - Peter Pan in Neverland Winter Formal - 6-8:30 PM
- 11 - Art After School - must be signed up
- 12 - Count Day
- 5th and 6th grade Information Night @ Parcellls 6:30-8PM
- 17-21 - NO SCHOOL Mid-winter break
- 24 - School resumes - late start
- 25 - Art After School - must be signed up
- PTO Mtg @ 7 PM in the library
Great Kindness Challenge 2020
The Great Kindness Challenge is January 27-31st. This week, our school will participate in various activities to help make our world a kinder place. On Tuesday, our staff would like to show a little kindness to our parents. We appreciate all you do to support our learners and invite you to stop by the picnic table on the blacktop to grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, after you drop off your student for school. At Mason, we all strive to be A Leader, A Learner, and Kind. The Great Kindness Challenge is a great opportunity to work as a family to talk about different ways you can show kindness toward others. You can use this Great Kindness Challenge Family Checklist as a guide if you need ideas! Have fun and Be Kind!
News From Spanish Class
¡Hola! Our Spanish rotation was so much fun! Your children are so wonderful, and I am looking forward to working with them again in the spring. Thank you for sharing them with me!
3rd graders have been learning how to give greetings, provide basic descriptions of themselves, tell how they are feeling, count to 30 and give their age in Spanish, and identify colors. We held a mock election for class president after a story, discussed emotions through an Incredibles movie talk, talked about the artist Frida Kahlo, and much more!
4th graders have been studying key questions that pertain to the calendar, weather, and how to talk about what they wear and what they like! We introduced our country of the year, Peru, through videos and storytelling, and students learned about Cusco and Lima. We learned about weather through story and song, clothing with Buddy the Elf and Billy la Bufanda, and played several games!
5th graders began the rotation with an introduction to Spain. They have been learning how to identify places in the community, recommend good places to go, give and understand directions in Spanish, describe their homes with the help of Pepito el Perrito and the thief, and draw comparisons between our culture and Spanish culture.
I hope that you will continue to encourage them to review their vocabulary at home, and that you will allow them to teach you some new vocabulary, too! Please feel free to email or call me if you have any questions. I would also like to encourage kids to keep up with their Spanish, even during our breaks. I love the Duolingo app and the Epic! reading app (which has Spanish stories)! There are countless more free Spanish games and activities if you check the app store. There are also wonderful resources on the web, like Basho and Friends and Sr. Wooly on Youtube, www.rockalingua.com, and resources for parents at www.spanishplayground.com and www.mommymaestra.com. Finally, you can always check out our website at http://sragrattan.weebly.com/ , where students will find many of their favorite songs and materials.
¡Gracias por todo! Thanks for everything!
Señora Grattan
Office News
Health Reminders:
With cold and flu season upon us please keep in mind that when your child is running a fever and/or vomiting, they must remain home for 24 hours. They may return to school when they have been fever and/or vomit free for 24 hours without medicine. Thank you for you cooperation with keeping all students healthy. Please remember to call the attendance line (313)432-4401 if your child will be out. Leave your child's full name and reason for absence.
Recess:
It is getting cold outside so please be sure to bundle your student up for recess. Students do go out for recess unless it's raining or a windchill below zero. All students will go out for recess.
Early Check Out:
If you need to pick your student up early please remember to call the office before noon so we many limit the number of classroom interruptions. Although we realize it isn't always possible, please try to schedule appointments before or after school.
Thank you
Green Team Towel and Blanket Drive for Animals
Tuesday, January 21- Tuesday, January 28: Towel and Blanket Drive for Animals
On January 28th, Mason will be visited by a representative from The Paws with a Cause Foundation. This is a program that helps train animals to work as service animals for people who need them. The Mason Green Team and Leadership Council are encouraging you to give back to those furry friends that serve us so well by donating your old, clean towels and blankets. These blankets are needed by both The Paws with a Cause Foundation and by the Moore Veterinarian Hospital. Our Mason Green Team is hoping you'll see the value of reusing items you may have considered throwing away. You can drop off your donation(s) to Mason School in the main hallway near the office anytime between Tuesday, January 21st and Tuesday, January 28th. Other items these valued animals are in need of are clean paper towel rolls and Clorox Wipes. Thanks in advance for your help making a positive difference!
#One GP Parent Camp
#ONEGP Parent Camp Registration February 29, 2020
A Grosse Pointe Public Schools FREE event for parents, supported by The Family Center, Healthy Grosse Pointe and Harper Woods, CARE, and GP Public Library.
Topics include: social media, student panels, cultural competency, anxiety, trauma, unconscious bias, vaping, special education, early intervention, the transition to middle school, and more.
Please see the flyer below for more information. You can register for this amazing opportunity by clicking the link below!
Thanks for your support!!!
Extra Clothes
Thank you!!
The American Red Cross has a critical shortage of type O blood and urgently needs blood donors of all blood types – especially types O negative and O positive – to make an appointment now to give and help replenish the blood supply after the holiday weeks.
• Right now, the Red Cross has less than a three-day supply of both O negative and O positive blood types.
• In January, severe winter weather and seasonal illnesses can make it difficult for the American Red Cross to maintain a sufficient blood supply. Schedule now and be the lifeline patients need.
• The Red Cross urges people to share their good health and resolve to give blood regularly, beginning in January with National Blood Donor Month.
Donors can save up to 15 minutes by using RapidPass® to complete the pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online. For more information, visit RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass.
Box Tops
Parents For Unity In Diversity
Dear GP Community! Our Parents For Unity In Diversity Committee is happy to announce that the district-wide parent meetings for this year will take place on Jan. 28th (in the Mason Elementary Library) and April 13th (in the Defer Elementary Library) from 6-7:30 pm. The meetings will be facilitated by Ginni Winters and the topic of our conversations will be centered around how we can help our community heal and become better during this time of transition for all our students. We are asking all participants to come prepared to brainstorm ways we can make our community better for everyone involved. Please consider joining us for these rich conversations; our students and community deserve it!
Thanks for your time,
January’s Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) Focus
Hallway Behavior- Doing the right thing in the hallway when no one is looking... Walking, keeping our hands to ourselves, using quiet voices, etc...
LIM Focus for the month of January
Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood- Listening with the intent to understand someone else better, Listening to understand instead of listening to reply.
Mason Elementary School
If not us, who? If not now, when?. -John F. Kennedy
Website: https://mi01000971.schoolwires.net/Domain/1501
Location: 1640 Vernier Road, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, USA
Phone: 313-432-4400
Twitter: @MasonelemGP